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Friday, February 29, 2008

You’re a manager.Why would you want to be on FaceBook with a bunch of college kids?

Simple…There’s 60 Million people on Facebook now, up from 25 Million 9 months ago.There’s only 15 million college students.Who do you think everyone else is?

The highest growing segment of FaceBook is the over 25 crowd…the hiring managers you want to network with and meet.

But you network on LinkedIN?Great LinkedIN is also a great place for job seekers to network….but the numbers are 1/3 of FaceBook.Almost overnight, FaceBook has grown to be the 6th most trafficked site on the internet, and the number one site to search for people.

Let’s see…you’re looking for a career change, right?And Facebook is the top site to find people….hmmm.How can you afford NOT to be on FaceBook?

But FaceBook is very different than other social networks.FaceBook is about groups and communicating within groups.You’ll have fewer people in your FaceBook network than in LinkedIN.Yet, you can have greater visibility than LinkedIN.How are both possible?

First, let’s set up your account.Make sure you also register as an alumni of your undergraduate, and graduate school – Make sure to prepare with an alumni email address from the school, to prove you’re a graduate. The alumni networks can be some of the most valuable parts of FaceBook, especially to job seekers.

FaceBook is all about your network knowing what you are doing.You have a news feed that gets broadcast to your network to tell them what you are up to.So when you’re looking for a job, you are able to subtly remind your network and group that you are looking for a job…every day.

Now be careful…if you’re still employed, you’ll want to be careful to control what’s on, and who sees your news feed.You’re in luck – FaceBook features sophisticated privacy controls to control who sees what.

Facebook is also a great vehicle to have conversations with your network…its email capabilities are more robust and fully featured than LinkedIN.

Best yet, FaceBook is a great vehicle to promote content to your groups and friends – things like resumes, articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, pictures.But be careful because friends can post pictures including you in their own photo albums, tag you, and it’s also displayed in your own photo album (you may not even be aware of this).Fortunately, you can set security so you approve all pictures first.That lets you control the pictures of you dancing on the bar, balancing a beer bottle on your head – maybe not what you’d want a potential employer to see.

I’ll post future articles giving tips of how to build your FaceBook network, and the best FaceBook apps for job seekers.

If you'd like a free 30 minute resume consultation, or some advice your career transition, just email your resume to me at phil.rainmakers@gmail.com, and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Tip #123: Think like a consultant. Search for a new job like a consultant.

Why think like a consultant if you're looking for a full time job?

Because today's hiring managers hire consultants and Full Time Employees the same way, and look for the same thing. Most full time jobs today can be filled by a consultant or an employee, and there's not all that much of a difference in cost.

A hiring manager needs help because he has a problem to solve. In today's complicated, technical, wired world, the manager's problem is usually pretty specific. In today's time-crunched world the hiring manager is usually under a tight time-frame to solve that problem.

But aren't consultants much more expensive? Consultants do charge much more per hour than the hourly cost of an employee. But when you figure in benefits, training costs, "ramp-up" time, vacation/sick time, risk of employee litigation or severance, the cost differential shrinks.

The primary reason companies hire consultants are for fast results, and to gain specific expertise of someone who has solved the same problem before. A hiring manager wants the same from a potential employee - minimal training and ramp up time, because the employee has already solved the same problem.

So how can you search like a consultant?

Stop trying to be a generalist

Individualize each resume to match the specific job description (remember cover letters often don't get reviewed)

Brand yourself as a Subject Matter Expert

Promote yourself as a Subject Matter Expert

Search Engine Optimize yourself - Get found when employers search the internet, resume databases, and job boards for solutions

If you're an experienced manager, you want a job that includes management, not detailed knowledge. But even in management positions, Subject Matter Expertise is hired, leadership is assumed...no one hires leadership.

Go for the Subject Matter Expertise....stay for the leadership.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Notice that these are very specific subject matter expertises. In today's job market, the more specifically you can define your expertise, the better you'll sell yourself.

Why? You are defining yourself as an expert to solve very specific problems. It's what employers want to see, and what candidates seldom do. Remember, today's hiring manager hires employees like consultants - to solve specific problems with specific subject matter expertise.

So, you've decided "I want to be a Subject Matter Expert today"! Now what? What do you choose to specialize in?

I put my clients through a simple exercise to help decide what subject matter expertise to choose. In practice, I'll have them choose as many as three.

I have clients prepare a 3 column chart (MS EXCEL or your favorite spreadsheet works great for this). The left column lists "My Skills", the center column "Market Demands", and the right column lists "Experiences Desired".

Under "My Skills", list your top 10 specific skills that make you unique. Avoid broad descriptions like Leadership

Under "Market Demands", list the top 10 skills you see demanded in the market for jobs you've been applying to (or viewing)

Under "Experiences Desired", list the top 10 experiences you want in your new job. Again, be specific.

Once you've made your lists, compare them. There should be an intersection of skills & experiences that exist in all three columns. After all, shouldn't your next career move involve something you're good at, something in demand, and something you want to do?

If you don't have skills and desired experiences that intersect, you may want to broaden your skills or demands list. Alternatively, consider if it's realistic to expect your desired experiences can be accomplished at the start of your next job. Perhaps this is a signal that your next job could be more of a lateral move that might LEAD to the experiences you desire - a stepping stone, perhaps within the same new employer.

What's the value in going through this exercise? It forces you to brainstorm, and writing this information down brings insights. In addition, it gives you more information to share with Recruiters, mentors, friends, or Career Coaches. Have fun determining your subject matter expertise!Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

How do you stay motivated while in career transition? A reader asked me to cover this topic.

It’s winter…if you live in the Northern part of the US, it’s cold, snowy, and one of the toughest winters we’ve had in a long time. If you’re out of work, this time of year can be depressing.

Staying motivated and keeping a positive attitude is SO important in your job search. If you’re depressed, interviewers can hear and see it.

How do you keep your motivation up during the dreary winter months?

Here’s 10 tips:

Set an alarm clock and keep a schedule. Treat your job search just like a job, and you’re less likely to feel lost.

Take a walk each morning, no matter how cold or snowy it might be. You finally have the opportunity to get out, get your blood flow going, see some daylight, and get some fresh air. Fresh air and sunlight does WONDERS for your frame of mind.

Exercise – It doesn’t matter what you do, or how long you do it. Just getting the blood moving through your veins will make you feel better, pump up your adrenaline, and wake you up!

Get out of the house – make networking lunch appointments, or if you don’t have lunch meetings, go out for lunch where you can see other people. Panera Bread is an awesome place – Lots of business people have meetings there or work there between meetings. Plus, there’s free WiFi and bottomless coffee (good coffee too!).

Say hi to people – Step outside your comfort zone to meet at least one new person every day. Where? Everywhere – at Panera, walking on the street, gas station, Grocery Store, bank. You never know what the person in line at the grocery does – or who they know. Plus, you’ll start looking forward to the new friend you’ll meet today.

Attend Networking events – More places to meet people who are in your field, or can connect you to people in your line of work.

Celebrate Success – Celebrate every success, no matter how small. Soon you’ll find a reason to celebrate each day. Your celebration can be as small as a piece of chocolate, or as big as a special evening out. It's Tuesday...WHO HOO!!!

Read a book – Read something you enjoy …something other than emails. Carve an extra 30 minutes per day to read.

Learn or try something new – Take a class, live or elearning, to pick up new skills. This is ESPECIALLY important for IT professionals who must recreate their knowledge base every 3 years to keep their skills up to date.

Eat Healthy – Prepare and make healthy foods, you’ll feel SO much better, and have more energy. You no longer have to dine at Chez Toyota for lunch, snarfing down a Big Mac, while driving with your knees.

Readers - How do you stay motivated in your job search? Please share any tips that work for you!

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use", and I'll schedule a time to talk.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Would it shock you to learn that only a small minority of resumes ever get seen by human eyes? Companies have had to run lean and mean, and have trimmed overhead over the past 10 years. One way companies have kept costs low is to replace clerical jobs with technology. That included the HR function.

When you send your resume for a job, your natural thought is that it's like a personal letter, especially if spent time crafting a personalized cover letter. Of course it will be read, it's a personal letter.

How did you feel when you were "perfect for a job", but never got a reply back even indicating receipt? It's happened to all of us.

When the majority of resumes started coming to companies electronically, sometime around the Millennium, it dramatically impacted the HR function in 2 ways: HR was now flooded with resume, many of them without the necessary skills sought; Technology was inexpensively available to pre-screen text files. Now it became easy for HR departments to only read the top 20 resumes in a key word search, and cherry pick the ones to send to the hiring manager.

So how did job seekers respond? Did they change their job search strategies, to adapt to company's hiring procedures?

Sadly, most haven't. Most job seekers are still using a paper resume strategy in a digital age.

Why? It's easier – less work per resume. It feels more productive to send 100 resumes in a night, even if you gain fewer interviews as a result. And it's within most job seekers comfort zone, because it's what they are used to.

So if most use outdated methods that result in a poor chance of interviews…..

….what does that do for the chances of those who prepare customized search optimized resumes? It gives them an unfair advantage, while putting 97% of the old school resumes into the Dead Zone.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Friday, February 22, 2008

www.Razume.com is an interesting social resume tool that allows job seekers to post resumes for public review and comment. I'm a featured resume reviewer for Razume.

Career Coaches, Recruiters and Resume Writers tear your resume to digital shreds, giving job seekers free feedback. It's good for the job seeker who gets free advice, and it's good for the reviewer, who gets publicity.

Your name and personal information is blocked, so no nosy co-workers or bosses can't see that you're "polishin' up the 'ol resume".

Navigation is easy, and job seekers might get numerous professionals offering comments. The only downside is that 10 different resume writers will give you 10 different opinions, often conflicting.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Employers realize you can learn if you've been in the workforce for a while, or if you've graduated College. Of course you can learn. It's even a bad answer for an entry-level job candidate.

But today, employers don't want someone who can learn, they want fast solutions to problems. If you can learn, you might have a future with the company to solve new problems, but to be hired you've got to demonstrate that you've already solved that problem. Employee turnover averages 18 months, and technology changes every 3-4 years – is it any wonder employers look for people who already have the skills to solve today's problems?

Instead, could you reply "Sure, I've solved similar problems!", and go on to give a close example. Instead, most candidates turn into a "deer in the headlights" and say "I can learn".

Anticipate problems the company has through your research, before you even craft your customized resume. Read press releases, SEC reports, articles, blogs…and gain an understanding of the companies challenges and problems. Show how you can solve them before you are even asked and you're a leading candidate. Say "I can learn" and you're road kill.

TIP: Remove the phrase "I can learn" from your vocabulary. Don't say it to recruiters, nor to family or friends. Just don't say it….ever.

Many job seekers describe themselves in a resume as a generalist, attempting to attract a broad number of opportunities. That's nice – but it doesn't work.

Yes, this used to work, and it's how everyone over 30 learned how to job hunt. But it's 2008. And in 2008, employers want subject matter experts who have direct experience in solving specific problems.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Want a sure fire way to get recruiters to call you back? To be proactive? To work FOR you?

It's so simple, and so few candidates do this. And the higher up the management chain the candidate is, the more effective they can be using this strategy. Interestingly, the higher up the management chain the candidate is, the LESS LIKELY they are to actually do this! It's such an easy way to stand out, such an easy way to get priority and additional help from recruiters.

But you've got to adopt a different paradigm - Flip your old way of thinking 180 degrees.

Stop even thinking that a recruiter works for you…they don't. They work for the client, and are paid only if they find an exact match in a competitive recruiter market. Retained recruiters are also paid to find exact matches. Even if you suggest that you'll throw business to the recruiter when you land your management job, a recruiter is in the immediacy business, and operates just-in-time. So next year or next month provide little incentive.

Recruiters work with hundreds or thousands of candidates at the same time. Why aren't you getting a call back to "check in"? Not the recruiter's job, and there's just no time. You're asking them for help, remember?

So how can you change this? Adopt the mentality that YOU WORK FOR THE RECRUITERS!

OK, you don't want to be a headhunter…so how are you going to work for recruiters? Here's 10 tips:

Work for the Recruiter - Tell the recruiters you work with that you will work for them…and mean it. Back it up by giving them information about available jobs and candidates.

Be an exact match – Give FAST turnaround and customize your resume within hours to be an exact match for the job. The fastest matches get interviews.

Provide Value - Every time you speak to a recruiter, have something to give them that they find valuable, even if they call you - A job lead, a candidate referral, a web resource, a networking event.

Personalize – Not every recruiter goes to networking events, so provide value that's important to THAT recruiter. Recruiters specialize, and most Technology recruiters can't help your friend in Accounting. Ask the recruiter what information is valuable – what should you keep your eyes open for?

Be responsive – Call the recruiter back quickly. Recruiters win interviews by responding quickly. If you respond quickly, the recruiter has a better chance of getting you an interview.

Co-Opt - Make the recruiter feel like a friend. People naturally work harder for people they like.

Respect the recruiter's time – email is an efficient communication for the recruiter.

Be a Fountain of Info – About your past employer, about current interviews, about jobs you've seen. Tell all – information is your best currency.

Help in matching – If you see a job that a recruiter lists, IF YOU ARE A MATCH – send an email with your resume attached (revised to match the job & keywords), and let them know why you are a match.

Provide introductions – Set up in person meetings with Hiring Managers and candidates. If you can't do in person, use emails and/or LinkedIN.

And as a bonus, #11

Be Positive and friendly – Be nice, make their day, tell a funny joke. Recruiters don't like putting bitter people in front of clients.

I can't tell you the number of candidates who put themselves in conflict with recruiters by with holding information, even when directly asked. The job market is more an d more transparent each day, so telling a recruiter what companies you've interviewed with, what jobs you see, won't increase competition. If that recruiter doesn't pitch the company for the job order, someone else already is. So withholding doesn't lessen your chances of getting THAT job, but it creates mistrust between the recruiter and you.

I challenge you to try this tactic for a month. After you're HONESTLY tried these tips. if you find recruiters who don't respond to this…fire them and work with someone else.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

While it's not here yet, 9 out of ten economists agree…it's coming. It's likely to be official by late May.

How will this affect your career plans?

Since a recession is defined as 2+ consecutive quarters of negative GNP growth, we won't know if we're actually in a recession until we're already there. After 4Q07 and 1Q08 final GNP numbers are reported (probably by late May) you should expect the "R" word to be a reality, according to a 2/13/08 New York Times article.

This post goes hand in hand with my tribute to The Clash last week – "Should I Stay or Should I Go", discussing the decision managers and professionals make in deciding if they ride it out, or find a new job.

The good news is that there are there are lots of jobs out there NOW – the immediate job market remains strong.

So let's say you're miserable, but yet you see a recession on the horizon. What do you do? Where are your risks?

You have risks either way:

Risk of staying:

If you are miserable, you won't be performing your best.

If you are underperforming, and so is your company, there's a bulls-eye on your back

If you don't get along with your boss, the bulls-eye is there also

Risk of going:

Your chance of landing a comparable or better job decline during a recession

You have a limited time to land a job before the recession is official

When you do get a new job, you've got low seniority, so you're at risk if the company has cutbacks

While this might not be the best time to just up and quit, without another job to fall back on, the job market IS still strong now. If you can do an all-court press on nights and weekends while still performing on the job, you can still land a strong career move now.

But you'll want to move NOW.

So if you decide to make the move now…get going. Get your resume updated, make it relevant to today's job market, and get it out there. If you have to keep things quiet, post a confidential resume with your name and company name as confidential.

And please…use modern techniques – individualize your resume to the job, forget cover letters, use key words, and include details over generalities.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Monday, February 18, 2008

Is it helpful to your job search to rank highly in a resume search? It should be, since only about 2-3% of resumes sent through job boards are actually read by humans.

It's frustrating, isn't it? Many take it personally, getting angry or depressed.

But it's also your best weapon to landing interviews…

LOVE THE PRE-SCREEN:

Computerized pre-screens are a necessary result of the number of resumes that CareerBuilder and other job sites flood companies with. But pre-screens give you a job seeker a HUGE opportunity to stand out from the crowd, if you know how to "rig" your resume.

So how can you get an Unfair Advantage? Do the same thing that SEO experts do to websites – game your resume to show up near the top of searches. It's a technique called Resume Search Optimization, and the idea is simple.

Use the same words as the job description. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But you'd be amazed at how few job seekers use this simple method. It pretty much like when you figured out in High School that the more of the teachers vocabulary words you used in your papers and essays, the higher your grade was.

Why do so few job seekers use Resume Search Optimization? There's a few reasons:

Takes time – To use Resume Search optimization effectively, every resume must be customized

Contrary to what you were taught – Still today, colleges, including the nations top universities, still teach career skills and resume writing the same way they did 30, 40 , 50 years ago (Static resume, general skills, printed on paper, customized cover letter).

Misinformation – Many job seekers feel they ARE using Resume Search Optimization, by customizing their cover letters. What these career changers don't realize is that computerized pre-screening strips your cover letter, and discards it. Recruiters rarely see your cover letter, and they aren't included in resume searches

Try Resume Search Optimization with the next 10 resumes you send. Make your resume detailed, and make sure to use the employers words. Please comment back with success stories!

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Friday, February 15, 2008

Today's employers hire Subject Matter Experts to solve problems. Managers and executives might not like this, but the day of the Generalist is over.

Now that it's easy to completely customize and individualize a resume to demonstrate Subject Matter Expertise, why would a hiring manager give a second glance at a general resume that didn't exactly match requirements?

Leadership and management skills are no longer searched for skills. Sure, they are still valued, but these skills are now assumed, and validated during an interview – if you get that interview. At the same time, technology life cycles have shortened, and employee turnover has increased. Employers have reacted by hiring problem solvers to make an immediate impact with minimal training or ramp-up time – Subject Matter Experts . Distinctions between contractors and W2 employees have blurred, as more workers embrace advantages of project work. Hiring managers started seeking full time employees to solve problems that consultants solve…for less cost.

Back in the days of paper resumes, sometime between the Declaration of Independence and the year 2000, the common knowledge was to write resumes as generalists. Especially for management level professionals, the "rule of thumb" was to write resumes to appeal to a broad audience, as a generalist.

The reason made sense at the time…resumes were printed on paper then. Your resume HAD to appeal to a broad audience, because it was static. The only way you COULD change it was by changing the cover letter.

But that changed around 2000. Right around the new millennium, job boards exploded, and overtook printed ads. When job boards exploded, HR departments and recruiters responded, by implementing pre-screens that increased efficiency of searches, and enabled hiring managers to micro-target candidate searches. Hiring managers changed their expectations, and expected exact fits…Subject Matter Experts.

And cover letters stopped being considered as part of a search…why look at the cover letter, when a candidate could easily customize their resume?

So, all you generalists out there….How will you change your job search strategies to respond?

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Thursday, February 14, 2008

If you discovered an Unfair Advantage to stand out over 97% of your competition, would you use it? Who wouldn't, Right?

In today's job search, the name of the game today is to get noticed…and 97% of the resumes out there don't do a very good job at getting noticed. Guess what happens if you are one of the 97%? That's right, no interview, no callback, no chance at the job you applied for.

Online resume submission, and HR Databases have made it so easy, yet at the same time, more difficult to get interviews. Easy as a click of a mouse, yet why is it all of a sudden so difficult to stand out?

It's more difficult because of pre-screening – HR departments love it, and most people seeking job change HATE IT. It's more difficult, because email and online job boards have made it TOO EASY to submit your resume. As it became so easy to submit a resume, HR departments and recruiters got overwhelmed with responses, and HR Departments and hiring managers had to implement pre-screening to micro-target candidates, and make the process efficient.

How many of you applied for a job you were "perfect for" … but yet never even got a return phone call? How did that feel? Did you also hate the pre-screening process?

You're not alone, 97% of people seeking to change careers hate pre-screening. But the top 3% LOVE IT.

DON'T FIGHT PRE-SCREENING – USE IT!The top 3% of resumes are the one who actually get reviewed by humans, and are the ones who get interviews. You can get to this top 3% one of two ways.

Use the Unfair Advantage of Resume Search Optimization and Web 2.0 tools

Send lots of resumes and pray – the method 97% of resumes use

Resume Search Optimization "games" your resume, by specifically writing it to score well on keyword searches. Yes, your resume is scored, by an algorithm, based on how many keywords match, or how many words in your resume match the job description

THE RULES CHANGED – HAVE YOU?

The proliferation of online recruiting completely changed the rules of the game, turning them literally upside down.

What works in today's job market is completely opposite of what most of us were taught. The Unfair Resume Advantage means extreme customization of each and every resume, with the goal of scoring highly on word matches….to the extreme of using the exact same words and terms directly lifted from the job description.

Don't bother with a cover letter, and if you feel that you must, make the cover letter generic. Isn't this the exact opposite of how you were taught to job search? Remember, hiring managers can micro-target resumes based on word matches, and COVER LETTERS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE DATABASE (see my Ugly Job Hunting Truths podcast). A good career coach, experienced in Resume Search Optimization and Web 2.0 tools can help you make pre-screening work for you, or if you're good at SEO, you can DIY.

So sending a static resume with general skills and a customized cover letter dooms your resume to database hell. Weren't most of us were taught (back in the good old days of paper resumes), to develop a static resume with general skills, demonstrating leadership for managers – and send a customized cover letter? Guess what…schools still teach these same methods – shame on them! Even my own esteemed Alma Maters – University of Illinois and Northwestern University still teach the same thing today we were taught 30 years ago. Prepare a static resume on nice paper, 1 page, lots of white space…oh and use a customized cover letter. If you've got good grades, you'll probably land some job, but how does this teach students to job hunt later in life?

So what will you do? Will you change your tactics to get an Unfair Advantage, or will you use the same strategies of our forefathers, and be doomed to database oblivion?

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

What does the content of your resume say about you? Is it an Autobiography, or a solution to your readers' problems?

IFyour resume gets seen by human eyes (remember, 97% get pre-screened by a database search), you have an average 15 seconds to capture the reader's attention. That's the average time spent reviewing a resume. In 15 seconds an interview/no interview decision is made. Just 15 seconds - That fast.

So how do you grab your reader's attention?Write about what is important to them.Don't write about what is important to your own ego.

Do you realize the majority of today's resumes don't address an employers' problems? Most are written for the job seekers own pride.

Do you think it matters much to your audience what you are most proud of? Will your reader care enough to read your resume in detail to get an idea of who you are and what you can do? Or does your audience care more about rapid solutions to their problems?

A common resume improvement is WRITING FOR YOUR AUDIENCE. A resume is very personal…especially if you're a professional, manager, executive, or have had a long career - your resume describes your life. Most people write resumes listing accomplishments they are most proud of. I can recall numerous recruiting candidates I worked with who fiercely defended wording that made them feel good about themselves, while sacrificing opportunities to make statements that would interest their audience – the hiring manager.

So what's important to hiring managers? Hiring managers today hire people who can solve their problems without much ramp-up time or training. Today's hiring decisions are made efficiently. And the quickest way a hiring manager can find someone who can solve specific problems is to SEARCH FOR SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY SOLVED THOSE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS.

For instance, do you list detail of accomplishments that are important? Who are they important to? To the hiring manager for the job you're applying for? Or just to you?

If you are a manager or executive, do you write about general leadership, or about detailed accomplishments? Do you write about general things that should be important to every hiring manager, or write about accomplishments that are important to that specific hiring manager?

Think of it this way - if the vast majority of resumes are written for the job seekers' own ego, and just a small percentage address what an employer wants to see, isn't it far easier to stand out in the crowd? Could this help you gain an Unfair Advantage over other candidates, if you are one of the few?

So write your resume to solve an employer's problems, and you'll get interviews. Discuss how you can an solve employer's problems in an interview, and you'll get offers.

Be the solution => get an Unfair Advantage => get the interview => and get the job.

In future articles I'll give tips on how to deduce the potential employer's problems.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

That uncomfortable feeling … A self assessment of when to consider a job change.

I spoke to a friend yesterday, who asked for some advice. It seems her sales job wasn’t going as well as she had hoped. She wasn’t making enough money to cover her expenses, and she was “starting to feel uncomfortable”.

But how do we tell if this bad feeling is temporary, or something that we can overcome?

My friend has a dilemma that many people see in their career. She had moved 4 months ago to a sales role, after 3 months of training. On one hand, she’s getting negative feelings from her boss….On the other hand, she’s only been in her new role for 4 months. New and heavily commissioned salespeople often struggle and feel this way at the 90 day mark, and don’t start seeing results for 6-12 months, depending on the company/product/service. Veteran salespeople know that the start-up phase of a new job is challenging.

If you’re in this situation, should you stick it out? Or should you listen to your feelings and get out? The answer depends on the kind of person you are, and your specific situation.

Ask yourself these tough questions:

YOU:1. How uncomfortable are you (scale of 1-10)?2. How concerned that you are about to get terminated?3. Do you perform you best under pressure, or do you perform best when comfortable & confident?4. How is the stress affecting your health? Your sleep? Are you getting sick more often?5. How is the stress affecting your relationships? Family?6. Are there insurance or benefits reasons (Ex: education, pension, vesting, stock plans, etc) that are overriding reasons to stay at your current company?7. Are there other reasons that leaving would be difficult? (Ex: Flexibility, lack of relevant jobs in your area, commute, daycare/school proximity)8. How much financial cushion do you have?

YOUR BOSS & COMPANY:9. Is your company profitable? Hitting its revenue and profit numbers?10. Is your company hiring, holding headcount steady, or expanding?11. Are you hearing company messages about growing sales, or managing costs?12. Is your company seeking to be purchased, to purchase/merge with other companies, or stable?13. Is your boss’ job stable? Is your boss under pressure, or considered a key player?14. If your boss makes you feel uncomfortable, does he/she do this to others on the team? Or is it just you?15. Has your boss taken away some of your responsibilities (or accounts)? Are you still in the loop for communications or meetings, or do you feel left out? Has this changed recently?16. What have others in your company done in your situation?17. What have you seen when others were terminated within your company? How long had the problems been going on before termination? How far in advance were formal warnings given?18. How likely will your boss get promoted or leave? Can you outlast your boss?19. Would you want to get transferred to another department within your company? How likely & how quickly can you get transferred?20. Large company vs. Small? Liability and regulatory concerns faced by large companies often make it a longer and harder process to fire employees. If you’re in a small company, especially if your boss is the owner, termination decisions are typically driven more by emotion than policy/procedure.

JOB MARKET:21. What’s the job market like? Do you think it will be better, or worse, 6 months from now?22. How transferrable are your skills? What’s your realistic estimate of how long your search will take?23. Do you want to stay in your current field/industry? Or do you want to change?24. How prepared are you for a job search? When was the last time you updated your resume?25. How much time do you have to search for a job while continuing work in a pressured environment?

Some overall thoughts:

Reasons to stay:If you haven’t had any two year job tenures in a while, consider toughing it out. It is even more difficult if you were at your current employer less than a year and leave without a couple of success stories. Employers discount “bouncy” resumes, and judge job hopping candidates as having less adaptability to tough situations. If you feel you’re handcuffed to the company due to benefits, you likely have a challenging decision.

Reasons to go:You usually have a job search advantage if you make the decision to leave, before possible termination (Exceptions: Long severance packages, really bad job market conditions, no relevant jobs in area). It is more difficult to confidently explain why things didn’t work out, in a way that makes you look good. Even if your company had layoffs due to losses, employers often view this as poor judgment on your part, especially in management roles. If the job market is good now, strike while it’s hot (it won’t be hot forever).

If you are being asked to do things that are unethical or illegal – go. Period.

Either Way:Get your resume ready, and start networking, just in case. You never know what kinds of great opportunities are out there until you open yourself up to the possibilities. And it’s good to be prepared.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".

Monday, February 11, 2008

OK, so you've written your resume, you've done 3 versions for specific job criteria, and you're drinking the Koolaid of sending fewer, but more targeted resumes. You're on the right path to searching for a new job.

Today's post talks about the first tool a job seeker should consider...Linkedin. Many readers may already be on Linkedin, but I'm consistently amazed at the number of managers and professionals who aren’t (including IT professionals!). Your employees are on social networks, which are second nature to Millenniums, but seem foreign to Boomers and even many Gen-Xers.

TIP #1:A high page rank on Google Searches is a simple reason why Linkedin is a must for any job seeker today.

Your resume will help you reply to job listings, but it doesn't help employers FIND YOU very well. Job Search 2.0 is about getting found, and getting noticed. It's more than just creating a brand...it's creating Subject Matter Expertise (SME), then publicizing your SME, amplifying your SME, and virally marketing your SME.

Wouldn't it be nice if your job search consisted of evaluating numerous job offers, consulting gigs, and overtures for your help? Who wouldn't enjoy the attention and the validation of your life's work? When you've successfully virally marketed your subject matter expertise, is gives you such an unfair advantage...because employers seek YOU to solve their specific problems.

Fortunately, there are LOTS of tools that can help you. And fortunately, your good-hearted reCareered coach wants to show you how to make them work for you....to give you an unfair advantage.A good Linkedin strategy can get you front page on Google Searches. Even if your name isn't unique, a good Linkedin strategy may get you a #1 ranking.

Tip #2: If Linkedin holds your resume, that markets your Subject Matter Expertise, and allows you to turn up on Google searches. If you have a REALLY unique Subject Matter Expertise, this alone is enough to get you on Google’s first page. Most of us don’t have such rarity in our careers.

Anyways, get busy and set up your Linkedin account.

Tip #3: Use a separate email address (mine is phil.linkedin@gmail.com) for Linkedin. Why? As you become successful, in virally marketing your SME, your email could blow up. I like to time block my Linkedin correspondence all at once, and using a separate email address allows easy organization (a trick from Getting Things Done). Get your new email account before signing up, because it will be more difficult to redirect the email later.

Tip #4: Put your top SME resume (the one for the job you want MOST) into Linkedin. Just cut and paste. No spellchecker on Linkedin, so make sure there are no typos.

Tip #5: Draft using word for spell checking. Cut and past spell checked text into Linkedin. Save your text so you’ll have a base profile that you can change as you need it.

Tip #6: Invite your job references, and ask them to write a reference for you on Linkedin. You'll want at least 4, but you don't really need 100 (who has time to read that many). If you've been working as a consultant, use clients who will say great things about you.

Tip #7: Control the reference process, and don't leave it up to chance. Tell your references what you'd like them to comment about. Make it specific...projects are best. Commenting about leadership skills, dedication, teamwork, getting to work on time, etc, are references that make you look average. Definitely, don't have your references comment about your ethics (Nothing wrong with ethics, but it's how references are written when there's nothing else nice to say). More on references in a later blog entry.

Tip #8: Spell check again. And again.

Future posts will talk about ways to build your Linkedin database, how to use it for job networking, what type of a database you want, Linkedin references, and advanced Linkedin topics.

Executives exploring Career Change: For a free 30 minute resume consultation, or career advice for executives, email your resume confidentially to reCareered (phil.reCareered@gmail.com), and we'll schedule a time to talk.

Staff, Managers, Entrepreneurs, and career changers outside the US: Send your resume to phil.reCareered@gmail.com to enroll in a free group teleseminar "Accelerate Your Job Search - tools you can use".